Instant Canopy Pet Bed and Quik Shade for Outdoor Family Fun!

June 10, 2013
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canopy pet bed with daisy

It’s getting pretty hot down here this time of year but we still love getting outdoors for a hike and a picnic with Daisy whenever we can! It’s been raining every day for almost 2 weeks, and we’ve already had our first tropical storm of the season, but yesterday was finally a nice sunny day so we decided to head out to the park and test out some shade canopies we received from Quik Shade recently.

Quik Shade makes awesome instant canopy and chair sets for humans, and has also started making instant canopy pet beds that are super easy to carry, quick to set up and offer shade and comfy ventilation on a hot day. In addition to great features to keep Daisy cool and sheltered on a hot day, I also love that the canopy bed  folds up into an easy to store and carry tote bag with shoulder strap. We don’t have much room for storage, but it fits perfectly in the closet and doesn’t take up much room in my car’s trunk either!

Daisy and her pet canopy bed from Quik Shade

With temps reaching the high 80’s and low 90’s already in many regions, we pet parents need to be careful to keep the fur kids cool and hydrated when out for a day at the park or beach. Pets can get easily overheated and dehydrated so it’s super great to have a handy instant canopy for her AND for us when we go for a family fun day. This pet canopy would also be perfect for hanging out together in the backyard or on the patio!

Quik Shade instant canopy and chair set

Daisy isn’t the only one who needs shade on a hot, sunny day…luckily, Quik Shade also invited us to test out the instant canopy and chair combo set, too! The whole set fits in a handy backpack that takes up less than a foot of cubic space, and is super fast to set up and take down. The backpack is perfect for hand-free carrying, as you can Woof Woof Papa modeling it above for us. What I love about both the pet canopy and the Quik Shade combo set for people is that their portability makes it easy to get off the beaten path and find the perfect spot away from the crowds, and not be limited to where there are shade trees or picnic shelters…we just make our own shade wherever we want! We’ll definitely be taking these to the beach and out for plenty more fun summer picnics with Daisy and her pals!

Pet Shade:

Quik Shade Go Canopy:

  • $149; Backpack Canopy with two fold up chairs
  • $79; Just the backpack and canopy
  • Colors vary; available at http://www.quikshade.com/ 

We received product samples so that we could try them out for ourselves and give you our honest opinions. We were not obligated to write a review nor were we told what to say. All opinions are 100% our own.

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Safe and Natural Hair & Body Care from ThinkSport

June 4, 2013
Some posts may contain affiliate links. Read the full disclosure.

thinksport shampoo

A while back, I told you about the absolutely coolest water bottle I’d discovered from ThinkSport. Well, they’ve done it again with a new safe and healthy line of body care products that is perfect for the whole family! And I’m super happy that they sent us some to try so that we could tell you all about it!

If you’re like us, you have a space-hogging assortment of shampoos, conditioners, body washes and soaps for different members of the family. One is too floral for him, another to harsh for her, etc. Plus there’s the whole issue of ingredients. I’ve got bottles of stuff sitting around that I thought were natural or healthy only to discover that they irritate my skin or scalp anyway or just don’t live up to their claims! Have you ever read the label on some of the stuff you’ve been using??? In addition to the false promises made by many companies, there’s a large number of ingredients that are unhealthy and shouldn’t even be in products we use on our bodies! ThinkSport has solved all of this with their new line.

Don’t let the name fool you. I was concerned when I first heart about these products that the scent or strength would be too “sporty” for me but both the ThinkSport Shampoo and the Conditioner smell amazing and are gentle yet effective at the same time. I LOVE that the shampoo was designed to double as a body wash! I use it to shave my legs, and with my Clarisonic brush on my arms, elbows and knees to gently exfoliate those rough spots. The hubby started training for a marathon, and he commented recently on how the grapefruit scent is a nice pick-me-up after a long run.

thinksport label

In addition to being really nice hair and body products, it’s important to point out that all the ingredients are clearly listed on the bottle and are 100% safe. There are no parabens, PABA, phthalates or 1,4 dioxane…which are all things that you want to avoid according to the health experts from the Environmental Working Group that studies this stuff.

ThinkSport has even gone so far as to publish the EWG ratings for each ingredient, right on the bottle’s label! As you can see, every ingredient has a 0-1 hazard rating which is the BEST according to the EWG Skin Deep Database and rating scale for product safety. Try comparing your current shampoo or body wash ingredients and learn more about the Skin Deep Ratings here.

Compared with other similar quality natural shampoos I’ve seen around, ThinkSport has priced these pretty well at $12.99 for a 16 oz. bottle of shampoo/body wash or conditioner. I always tend to run out of conditioner first, but with the shampoo also doubling as a body wash, my bottles are staying about even which makes it easier for restocking. They also make a baby shampoo and an after sun/sport body lotion. You can find out more and browse everything at the ThinkSport online store.

I received the products mentioned so that I could use them and let you know what I think. All opinions are 100% my own and I was not told what to say. 

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Nutrisystem Update Week 33: One Week Left + Some Exciting News!

June 3, 2013
Some posts may contain affiliate links. Read the full disclosure.

WOW! So hard to believe that we’re heading into our final week on the Nutrisystem program! If you’re just joining us, the hubby and I have been losing weight together with Nutrisystem. Each week, we post a new update and share tips, info about our experiences, let you know about the program, and tell you how much we’ve lost so far.

win nutrisystem

Just a reminder that we’re celebrating our Nutrisystem success with a giveaway and it’s your LAST week to enter! WIN a 5-Day Nutrisystem Meal Kit and help jump start your own weight loss (ends 6/9)!!!

Knowing that we are wrapping up our time with Nutrisystem, the hubby and I really pushed extra hard last week and he’s got some super exciting news. He has reached the weight loss goal he set back in October when we started our journey! Not only that, but when we did our weekly weigh-in yesterday morning, he was actually BELOW his goal weight of 190…weighing in at 189.6 lbs, meaning he’s lost a total of 60.4 pounds!

I think I mentioned that Woof Woof Papa has started training for his first marathon, and this is due in no small part to the weight loss he’s been able to achieve thanks to Nutrisystem getting us back on the right path when it comes to portion control and logging what we eat.

I also have a reason to celebrate. Although I haven’t quite reached my goal weight yet, I dropped 3.8 pounds since last week’s weigh-in for a total of 37.8 lbs lost so far. That means I’m only 6.2 lbs away from my goal of 145. I think I’m within a few weeks of reaching it, and I’m going to do my best to do it by the end of June no matter what!

If you missed any of our previous Nutrisystem posts, just visit the links in the table below or click here to catch up! We’d love to hear about your own weight loss experiences, advice and challenges, so leave a comment and share some with us. We’re also happy to answer questions, so ask away!

See below for the full breakdown of our weekly weight loss for Weeks 1-33:

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Nutrisystem Update Week 32: WIN a 5-Day Weight Loss Kit!

May 27, 2013
Some posts may contain affiliate links. Read the full disclosure.

If you’re just joining us, the hubby and I have been losing weight together on the Nutrisystem program. Each week, we post a new update and share tips,  info about our experiences, let you know about the program, and tell you how much we’ve lost so far. Since we’re just about at the end of our time on Nutrisystem, and we’ve LOVED it so much, we’ve arranged a giveaway and one lucky reader will WIN their own 5-Day Nutrisystem Meal Kit to jump start your own weight loss!

nutrisystem 5 day kit

Over the past 7 months, the hubby and I have stuck to the program and are so happy with our results. We both still have a bit of weight to lose to meet our personal goals but so far I’ve lost a total of 34 pounds and the hubby has lost an amazing 58 pounds! You can check out last week’s update to view the chart showing how much we’ve lost each week so far!

You can jump start your journey to weight loss with the Nutrisystem 5-Day Weight Loss Kit featuring popular, perfectly portioned breakfasts, lunches, dinners and desserts available at a Walmart near you. Just add fresh grocery additions for the best balance, and say bye-bye to that unwanted weight and hello to a new you!


Win a Nutrisystem 5-Day Weight Loss Kit

This giveaway runs thru June 9, 2013, is open to US residents age 18+ and uses the Rafflecopter Widget for FAST & EASY ENTRY! There are many OPTIONAL entry methods to give you additional chances to win, but just choose the ones you want. Email addresses and other info are only used to verify and contact the winner. Rest assured that your information will never be sold or shared with anyone. All entry methods are subject to verification. Please make sure you provide all required information or your entries won’t count!
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Nutrisystem Update Week 31: Meal Measure Portion Control Tool

May 18, 2013
Some posts may contain affiliate links. Read the full disclosure.

We’re adding a great new portion control tool to our weight loss routine! If you’re just joining us, the hubby and I have been losing weight together on the Nutrisystem program. Each week, we post a new update and share tips,  info about our experiences, let you know about the program, and tell you how much we’ve lost so far.

meal measure portion control diet tool

Easy Portion Control Tool for Weight Loss and Maintenance

As I mentioned in last week’s weight loss update, we’re preparing to transition from doing all Nutrisystem meals, to doing our own cooking at home. In addition to the great Nutrisystem Cookbook we told you about, we’re ready to test out the Nutrisystem Meal Measure. It’s an easy to use portion control tool that fits right on your dinner plate and helps dieters learn what a proper portion looks like for each meal.

With individual spaces for protein, starch, fruit and vegetables, the Meal Measure is almost a no-brainer to use…just fill to the line in each cavity (half cup line on the inside or full cup at the top) and then lift the Meal Measure to enjoy your perfectly portioned meal at home!

We’ve had such a busy week that we relied on our pre-portioned Nutrisystem meals just about every day but are hoping to sit down, get organized and plan out some meals we can cook for ourselves soon. That really is one of the biggest challenges and why the Nutrisystem program works so well for us…knowing it’s in the cupboards and freezer and that we can just grab what we want without thinking about it when it’s time to eat. Our challenge now is to use the new tools to plan and make our own meals rather than always rely on the packaged meals we’ve grown so accustomed to!


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Filed Under: Diet, Nutrisystem Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
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